Paper-tying apparatus



(No Model.)

J. s. SHANNON. PAPER TYING APPARATUS.

No. 344,995. Patented July 6,1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES S. SHANNON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PAP-ER-TYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 344,995, dated July e,1886.

Application filed October 12 1883. Serial No. 179,626. No model.) v,

- To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES S. SHANNON, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Paper Tying Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a device designed to serve as an auxiliary tothe well-known op eration of securing together a number of sheets ofpaper by passing a tape or cord through perforations formed bypuncturing through a collection of sheets along one edge thereof, andthen suitably tying the tape or cord in a knot upon the top sheet.

The objects of my invention are to provide simple and convenient meansfor securing and holding the sheets in a compact condition during thetying operation, with the perforations of all of the sheets in register,and also to permit the ultimate number of sheets which are to befastened together to be first punched through in separate and successivelots, and then all brought and held together with their perforations inregister; also, to facilitate the operation of passing or drawing afastening cord or tape through and across the collection of sheets andto permit the ready removal of the sheets after the same have been tiedtogether, also, to permit, preparatory to the 5 tying operation, of theready removal of any intermediate sheets of the series.

In carrying out my'invention I provide a base with a pair of parallelreceiving-tubes or tubular receiving-wires, upon which the per- 40forated sheets are to be temporarily filed.

These tubular receiving-wires, which constitute passages for a threadedneedle, are each slotted longitudinally from end to end, and the base towhich they are secured is adapted to 5 provide a space or passageintermediate "of the tubular receiving-wires, and extending through thebase to the slotted base ends of the said receiving-wires, so as toleave a clear space between the slots for the entire length of the same,thereby permitting the tape passed through the tubular receiving-wiresto be drawn out of the latter and carried across the top and bottomsides of the collection of papers to the point where it is to be tied,and

also permitting the ready removal from the tubular receiving-wires ofthe sheets thus tied together.

As a means for holding the sheets compactly during the tying operation,a pair of clips or latches, adapted to be broughtinto engagement withthe tubular receiving'wires or to be disengaged therefrom and swung outof the way, are arranged to both turn about and slide longitudinallyalong pivots rising from the base in planes parallel with the tubularreceiving-wires, under an arrangement bywhich the resistance orexpansive action of a collectionof sheets against the free ends of theclips, after the latter have been pressed down upon the sheets, so as topress the same together, shall, in tending to lift the clips at theirfree ends, cause the clips at their opposite ends to bite on theirpivots and thereby be locked against any sliding movement along theirpivots until intentionally released.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view 'of a deviceconstructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan viewthereof. on a vertical plane indicated by line 00 00, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 isa section taken on a vertical plane indicated by line y y, Fig.2.

In the last two figures I have illustrated a series of sheets held by mysaid device.

The device herein illustrated comprises a pair of parallel tubularreceiving-Wires, A, which are slotted longitudinallyfrom end to end andsecured to a base, B, adapted to serve as a permanent and rigidconnection between the two receiving-wires at their lower or base ends.The paper sheets to be filed will be punched along one edge by any punchsuitable for forming through each sheet a pair of perforations situatedapart from one another at a distance corresponding to the space betweenthe tubular receiving-wires, whereby perforations in the paper can bebrought into register with the tubular receiving-wires when it isdesired to temporarily file the papers upon the receiving-Wires for thepurpose of permitting'the sheets to be fastened togetherby a cord ortape. The slots a of the receiving-wires are situated directly oppositeeach other, and provision is made for a clear uninterrupted space Fig. 3is a section taken or passage through the base-and fromand between-thelower ends of these two opposing slots, so that after a binding cord ortape has been passed through the receiving-wires and drawn from one tothe other against the top and bottom sides 1 f a series of sheets filedup- I on the receiving-wires, as in Fig.3, the sheets,

after having been fastened together by the tape or cord,can be liftedfrom the receiving-wires. To such end the base A is composed of a flatoblong plate cut away from one of its longer edges to form an oblong andapproximately rectangular notch or space, 0, at or near the innercorners or angles of which notch or space the receiving-wires aresecured to the plate in position to admit of their slots either openingdirectly into said space thus formed between the recei ving-wi res orcom um nicati ng therewith through the medium of short slots b, whichconstitute passages leading from the inner edge of the plate to thelower ends of the receiving-wires. In this connection it may be observedthat a base-plate supporting the hollow and slotted receiving wires ortubes, and provided with a slot extending from one tube or wire to theother, would subservc the same purpose as the plate cut away from oneside edge, as herein shown, although I prefer the latter construction onaccount of its lightness and economy in material; but it will be seenthat in'either case the slots arcin aplane substantially perpendicularto the base, and that while there is a clear space between the slotsabove the base there is also a passage through the base situated in theplane occupied bythe slots and extending to and between'thc lower endsof .the slots, thus providing a'clear space between the slots for theirentire length. The plate thus formed consists, in effect, of a longnarrow middle portion extending from one receiving-wire to theother,'and provided with lateral and rearwardly-extending end portions,1), to which latter are secured the pivots D, for a pair of swinging andadjustable clips or latches, E, employed asa means for, holding down thepapers which are upon adapted to engage the nearesttubular'receiving-wirqand the pivoted shank end portions "of'the-hooksare long enough to admit of the hooks being swung around to engage there ceiviug-wires, as illustrated in 'Fig. 2.

Preparatory to placing the sheets on the receiving-wires, the hook-'shaped clips or latches can be disengaged'from the receivingwires andswung around to the 'rearontof thei way, as in Fig. 1, in which one ofthe clipsor latches is shown thus swungback. Afterthe papers have beenfiled upon the receivingwires, these hook-shaped clipscan be swung roundover the sheets in position to engage the receiving-wires. The clips orlatches can then be pushed down by hand upon and against the collectionof sheets, so as to compact the same, in which compressed condition theclips or latches will be maintained by reason of the tendency on thepart of the body of sheets confined between the base-plate and the clipsor latches to expand and lift the latter at their free ends, and therebycause the said clips or latches at their opposite pivoted ends to biteagainst their respective pivots. In this way, as soon as the clips orlatches have been pressed down upon the collection of sheets and thedown-pressure on the clips or latches removed, the said devices will beinstantly and automatically locked. The clips or latches can be readilyunlocked or loosened by a simple pressure exerted against their freeends, after which they can be slightly lifted at their opposite pivotedends and then .turned about their pivots, so as to disengage them fromthe receiving-wires and swing them back out of the way.

To bind the sheets with a cord or tape, thecord or tape threaded throughasnitable needie'ean bed'rawn through the receiving tubes or wires andacross the collection of sheets-as, for example, in Fig. 3, in which acord, F, is shown drawn through the sheets at the points where the tubespass through the latteraud also drawn through a perforation punchedthrough the collection of sheets at a point intermediate of theperforations prepared for the receiving tubes or wires, at which saidmiddle point the cordcan be tied, as is usual in binding together anumber of sheets by a cord or tape. To facilitate the manipulation ofthe clips or latches, each one is preferably provided with a pairofwings or ears, 6, formed at that end which is hung upon its allotedpivot. The hollow and slotted receiving wires or tubes are preferablybeveled or sharpened at their top ends to permit the papers to bereadily filed thereon, and the pivots D are provided at their top endswith heads, conveniently formed by slightlyupsetting the pivots at suchends, so as to prevent the clips or latches from becoming accidentallydetached from their pivots. When desired, any one or more intermediatesheets of the series temporarilyheld on the tubular receivingwires canbe readily removed before the sheets'have been fastened together. Thisis accomplished by the aid of a transferwire, G. (Illustrated indottedlines in Fig. 3.) This transferwire is adapted to extend from onereceiving tube or wire to the other, and is provided with a pair of legsadapted to be introduced'into the receiving tube or wire, as illustratedin said figure, so that to take out, for

example, the middle sheet of the series, the

sheets-above the middle sheet can he slipped moved from the tubularreceiving-wires, after which the legs of thetransfer-wirescan be againintroduced into the tubular receivingwires, and the sheets on thetransfer-wires slipped back upon the receiving-wires. To effect suchtransfer of a portion of the sheets, the transfer-wire will of course beraised so as to draw its legs out from the receiving-wires to the properextent. It will also be observed that where the number of sheets to beheld together is so great as to render punching through the entirenumber of sheets at one and .the same operation a difficult matter, thesheets can be punched in lots, and each lot placed upon the tubularreceiving-wires as soon as it has been punched, in which way the sheetscan all be brought together with their perforations in register.

I claim as my invention- 1. A paper-binder consisting of a pair oflongitudinally-slotted parallel tubular receiv ing-wires secured to abase; which is formed to provide a clear space between the slots of thetubular receiving-wires, substantially as described.

2. A paper-binder consisting of apair of longitudinally-slotted paralleltubular receiving-wires arranged upon a base with their slots in a planeperpendicular to the base, which latter is provided with an openingextending from slot to slot and formed substantially in the plane inwhich the said two slots are located, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

3. The combination, in a paper-binder, of a base provided with a pair oflongitudinallyslotted tubular receiving-wires with a pair of swingingclips adapted at their free ends to engage the receiving-wires, and attheir pivoted ends fitted to turn about and slide along pivots whichrise from the said base, substantially as described.

4. The combinatioinin a paper-binder, of a pair of parallellongitudinally-slotted tubular receiving-wires A, rising from the base13, anda pair of clips, E, disposed to slide along and turn about pivotsD,risin g from said base, substantially as andfor the purpose described.

' 5. In a paper-file, a base-plate, B, cutaway from one side edge toform an oblong opening and provided at each one of the inner corners ofsaid opening with a longitudinally-slotted tubular receiving-wire havingits slots'communieating with the opening in the base-plate,substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES S. SHANNON.

Witnesses:

M. E. DAYTON, H. N. HIBBARD.

